4.4

OVERALL RATING

4.3/5.0

3% Earnings on purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and office supply stores; 1% Earnings on all other purchases; plus, 5% Earnings on purchases of GM parts, accessories and service at authorized GM dealers - all of which can be exclusively redeemed toward the purchase or lease of an eligible, new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle

No annual fee, no limit to how much you can earn and redeem, and your Earnings don't expire; plus, a 0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months and a variable APR of 14.49% after that

4.3

OVERALL RATING

4.3/5.0

3% Earnings on purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and office supply stores; 1% Earnings on all other purchases; plus, 5% Earnings on purchases of GM parts, accessories and service at authorized GM dealers - all of which can be exclusively redeemed toward the purchase or lease of an eligible, new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle

No annual fee, no limit to how much you can earn and redeem, and your Earnings don't expire; plus, a 0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months and a variable APR of 14.49% after that

Behind the Issuer: Capital One

You might know Capital One as the innovative credit card company whose creative commercials featuring barbarians asking, “What’s in your wallet?” The fact is Capital One Financial Corporation is working hard to make sure it’s their credit card you’re carrying around in your wallet – and they’ve been pretty successful at it.

Since its founding in 1995, Capital One has grown into one of the 10 largest banking institutions in the country, with nearly 1,000 bank branches nationwide. They also have business divisions for commercial lending, home loans, car loans and traditional banking, in addition to their credit card business.

But the history of Capital One actually goes back further than 1995, when it was spun off from Signet Financial Corporation. The foundation for this highly successful business began in the mid-1980s.

Building a better credit card

Prior to 1985, credit cards were issued almost exclusively by the big banks. When Sears introduced the Discover Card with its annual cash-back bonus, it began changing the way consumers saw credit cards. Soon other non-banking companies began issuing cards with lower than standard interest rates and other perks.

In 1988, Richard Fairbank and Nigel Morris recognized the potential opportunities in the evolving credit card industry. They approached Virginia-based Signet Bank with the idea of creating a more technological approach to issuing credit cards. They suggested different types of cards with variable pricing and rate structures based on things like individual customer risk. It was a complete overhaul of Signet’s credit card business.

An industry revolution

In 1991, the concept of balance transfers and introductory rates brought in a steady stream of new customers to Signet’s credit card business. The technology focus Fairbank and Morris introduced allowed them to target their lowest-risk customers and offer them better incentives than the other banks. It soon paid off. By 1994, the credit card operation was Signet’s most profitable business, but they recognized it was diverging from their regional banking business.

They decided to spin off the credit card business and form Capital One Financial Corporation in 1995. From day one, the new company was already one of the 10 largest credit card issuers in the country.

Continued growth

With Richard Fairbank as CEO, Capital One continued to expand throughout the late 1990s, branching into new areas of growth. They began marketing cobranded and affinity cards, as well as cards with no annual fee. They also started issuing secured credit cards to gain access to a new set of customers. Building on their success, Capital One purchased Summit Acceptance in 1998, entering into the car loan business.

Fairbanks realized remaining a “monoline” financial company would eventually lead to lead to acquisition or drive them out of business. To prevent this, the company expanded into traditional retail banking in the early 2000s by buying several regional banks. In 2011 and 2012, Capital One completed two transactions that allowed it to further expand its credit card business and enter into the insurance business.

HSBC sold its credit card business to Capital One in 2011 and the U.S. operations of Dutch insurance company ING Direct were acquired in 2012. The insurance business was renamed Capital One 360.

Today Capital One is the eighth largest bank in the U.S. in terms of deposits held. They also are one of the largest credit card issuers in the country.

Richard Fairbank continues as president and CEO of the company he helped start and continues to do things with a focus on innovation.

Photo source: mybanktracker.com

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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